Greatest College Football Team of All Time?

Nebraska’s 1995 national champions were voted the best by the Sporting News, and the Huskers’ 1971 national champs were voted sixth best.

Ahman Green carries the ball against Oklahoma. | Nebraska Athletics

Old-school Nebraska football fans remember quite well their 1995 national champions, one of the most dominating teams in college football history.

A panel of experts compiled by the Sporting News agrees with that assessment.

Nebraska’s 1995 football team was voted college football’s greatest team by a panel commissioned by the publication, which picked the top 20 all-time teams since 1886.

The 1995 Nebraska team was the only one that appeared on all 20 ballots in its panel.

Another Nebraska team was voted among the top 20 — the Huskers’ 1971 national champions, who finished sixth. Three other Nebraska teams received votes from the panel — the 1994, 1997 and 1983 teams.

Tom Osborne’s 1995 team finished 12-0 and averaged an astounding 52.4 points per game, the best in the nation. The Huskers were a defensive force, too, allowing only 12.1 points per game, fourth best in the nation in defending their national championship.

“It was very gratifying to work with a group of players who had the kind of focus and drive to carry them through the season at such a high level,” Osborne was quoted on the Nebraska Athletics site about the 1995 team.

The fewest points they scored was 35 against visiting Washington State, a game the Huskers won, 35-21. This was the only game in which Nebraska trailed all season.

They especially destroyed rivalry teams — 57-0 over Missouri; 37-0 over Oklahoma; 44-21 over Colorado.

This remarkable season was capped off with a dominating, 62-24 win over previously undefeated Florida in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.

Tommie Frazier led the way

Quarterback Tommie Frazier, who was runner-up to Ohio State running back Eddie George for the Heisman Trophy in 1995, was a do-everything player for the Huskers.

Frazier was a dual-threat quarterback before they became popular and such an integral part of the sport. He rushed for 655 yards, a nifty 6.2 yards per play, and scored 14 touchdowns on the ground.
Frazier completed 92-of-163 passes for 1,362 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Beyond his individual stats, his mastery of the Huskers' option offense helped the team's I-backs shine.

Ahman Green, who revealed recently that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, was the Huskers’ go-to running back with 1,086 yards on the ground for an impressive 7.7 yards per play. He scored 13 touchdowns on the ground. Green went onto become the Green Bay Packers’ all-time rusher with 8,322 yards. Lawrence Phillips, although suspended for half the season, scored nine touchdowns and gained 568 yards in 1995 for Nebraska.

More dominance: The Huskers averaged 400 yards rushing per game while allowing only 78 yards rushing per game to opponents. The Huskers scored 51 rushing touchdowns in ’95 and gave up only six rushing TDs.

Nebraska coach Bob Devaney won back-to-back national championships in 1970 and 1971. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Huskers’ 1971 champions

Bob Devaney’s Huskers went 13-0 in 1971 and won the iconic “Game of the Century” against Oklahoma, 35-31, at Norman on Thanksgiving Day. The Huskers defended their 1970 national championship in style. In the Orange Bowl, No. 1 Nebraska routed No. 2 Alabama, 38-6.

Jerry Tagge was the efficient quarterback who directed the offense. I-back Jeff Kinney was the bell-cow ball carrier with 1,100-plus yards. Johnny Rodgers had 53 catches for 873 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he was always a threat to take it to the house on kickoff and punt returns.

Johnny Rodgers celebrates with defensive back Joe Blahak after Rodgers' 72-yard punt return gave Nebraska a first-quarter lead against Oklahoma on Nov 25, 1971. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But it was on defense where the Huskers truly excelled. They allowed only 8.2 points per game, third best in the nation. Rich Glover and Larry Jacobsen formed a dynamic interior defensive line.

“This star-loaded team which rolled to a second straight national title just as easily could have been No. 1 on this list. With Johnny Rodgers and Rich Glover dazzling as well as beating others, this was the cream of the Bob Devaney era,” said one of the panelists, Tim May.

The voting panel

The 20-person panel is a group of top-flight journalists and broadcasters, folks who have reported on the sport extensively. You might know some of the names: the panel included eight Sporting News staff members (Bill Bender, Rob Cassidy, Mike DeCourcy, Bob Hille, Vinnie Iyer, Elliott Pohnl, Bill Trocchi, Benson Taylor) and 12 college football writers, broadcasters and podcasters (Mark Blaudschun, Kirk Bohls, Tim Brando, Bobby Carpenter, Tom Dienhart, Dennis Dodd, Bryan Driskell, Matt Hayes, Ivan Maisel, Tim May, Steve Richardson, Trey Wallace). 

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